At the May 14 Waterloo City Council meeting, Mayor Justin Cary read a planned resignation letter following a long meeting discussing a planned subdivision and more.
Following Cary’s resignation, Council President and former Street Master Adam Beskow took the role of acting mayor until another can be elected. Beskow stated he is happy to remain in the role as long as is necessary, but does not intend to run for office.
Prior to Cary’s resignation, the majority of the meeting was spent discussing a subdivision. Approved for construction on Linn County land, the houses will require Waterloo city street access, and discussions regarding driveway permits have been ongoing for several months.
One community member was concerned about the one house that has been built in the development so far; the K Street driveway to this was permitted by the county, a mistake considering the permit should have been a city issue.
Thanks to the approval from the wrong entity, the unnamed homeowners have been unable to access their home for upwards of six months.
The community member cited concerns over road wear and tear from future residents of the subdivision. However, the city has been working to create an official ordinance regarding driveway permits, which would offset the cost of future road maintenance via initial and annual fees.
Per a motion from Beskow, the council voted to contact the owners of the house and the mistakenly county-approved driveway to discuss a variance allowing access.
A special meeting will be held on May 28 to discuss approving the driveway ordinance.
While the bid to pave K Street has not yet been approved, City Recorder Brandi Libra said she is exploring a potential grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation that would help pay for the improvements.
In other business:
- There is an incoming archaeological project survey, which the city of Waterloo and the local Indigenous tribes can provide input on.
- The street master title and duties were passed on to council member Russell Tolen.
- Enforcement Officer Dennis Scott investigated a complaint about a smell coming from a local in-town chicken coop, but found no smell or chickens upon investigation.
- A permit was denied for a lot with improper setbacks.
- Following a performance review, the mayor recommended the city recorder be placed on a three- to six-month probation.
- Minutes were also reviewed and accepted for February, April and May 6 meetings, along with the current budget reconciliation. The council approved a change of banks for city accounts, electing to move from Wells Fargo to the OSU Credit Union.
The next full Waterloo City Council meeting will be on June 11.